The first time he walked into the locker room, and smiled his shy, irresistible smile, I was taken.
I looked over to see Tony’s reaction to the foreign rookie. He and Timmy were playfully wrestling with each other in the showers, and were just coming out, as Beno came in.
Tony stopped in his tracks, causing Timmy to run him over.
"Hey!" Timmy said, playfully pushing Tony out of the way. "What’s gotten into you?"
Poor Beno didn’t know what to do. He looked so forlorn and scared. Like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming Hummer.
I walked over to Rasho and dragged him towards the rookie.
"Hey, help me welcome Beno. You will help translate for me, yes?" I asked the taller Slav.
"Wait, let me see how much English he knows, I might not have to translate if he knows enough." Rasho put his hand on Beno’s shoulder.
I only knew a few words in Slovak, mostly curses I learned from Rasho when he was in foul trouble. I couldn’t understand anything, as they were speaking rapidly and not cursing each other.
"He says he knows quite a bit," Rasho told me, after showing Beno to his locker. "Just try talking to him?"
I nodded and turned towards the smaller Slav. I stopped dead, as I saw Tony already joking with him, and what was that? Patting his shoulder?
We really didn’t expect Beno to be this cute. But after that first practice with him, Tony and I were smitten.
We went out to lunch that day.
"I call the rookie!" Tony quickly exclaimed as soon as we climbed in my Lincoln Navigator. I didn’t even get a chance to start it.
"What?" I said, half smiling at Tony. "I was more than willing to help him out today, if you hadn’t been all over him."
"So now it’s a crime to welcome a new foreign player?" Tony teased. "C’mon you know what it’s like to be new and scared."
"I was never scared," I said, perhaps a bit too proudly.
"Oh, I forgot you’re the great Manu Ginobili," Tony poked my ribs. "Not afraid of anything. Not even the court floor."
"You would know about that, Tony." I leaned over and gave him a playful kiss on the lips, then drew away.
"Hey! Don’t go so soon, get back here." He pulled me over onto his lap.
"You know you should probably be on top, I am bigger than you."
"You’re right, I like being on top anyways," he said as he rearranged himself so that he was straddling me. We kissed softly before I pulled away, afraid that someone would catch us in the act.
"Maybe we should get going," I whispered.
"What’s wrong?"
"Nothing, I’m just starving," I said, moving over into the driver’s seat.
The trip to the restaurant was silent, but as soon as we sat down at our table, Tony looked ready to burst with conversation.
"So what do you think of the rookie?" he asked.
"I really didn’t get a chance to meet him because someone was all over him," I replied teasingly.
"It’s not my fault you weren’t quick enough," he said with a smile.
"And another thing, who says you get first dibs on him?"
"What does that mean?"
"You know exactly what it means. You already have Timmy, so why shouldn’t I get the new guy?"
"I bet I could get him into bed before you could!"
"Well why don’t you put your money where mouth is, hotshot," I said, getting more interested.
"Fine. If I get him first, then you have to be my cabana boy for a week," he said, giggling to himself.
"And what do I get if I win?"
"Whatever you little heart desires, Manu."
"Alright, let me think. Oh, I have the perfect idea," I said smiling to myself at the thought of it. "If I win, which I will, then you must come to my home and be my slave for a week."
"That doesn’t seem so bad," he said winking at me.
"While wearing a French maid’s outfit," I said with a laugh.
Tony blushed at the idea but agreed because either way we would both win and we would have fun collecting our rewards.
The next day at practice, it was on.
I cut Tony off in the parking lot to get the spot closest to the locker room entrance.
Tony shouted a few choice words in French, but I just smiled mischievously and waved, envisioning how good he’d look in his little maid outfit.
I ran into the locker room, showered and changed quickly, hoping to catch Beno sneaking a glance at me. He didn’t, he just kind of sat there staring at the floor waiting for Pop to call practice to start.
When Pop finally did, Beno quickly jumped up and ran out, before I could even offer to walk out with him.
Poor Beno.
During practice Pop was on him constantly, for little things. It seemed as though he was having such a difficult time adjusting to our style of play. I knew that in the European League, it was a lot different, and I could tell that Beno, if he didn’t get some help from us, would continue to struggle.
I called Tony to the side.
"Hey," I said slipping my arm around his waist. "Don’t you think Pop’s being a little rough on the rookie?"
"Well, I’m gonna get rough with him later…" he trailed off, watching Beno with a face full of lust.
"I’m serious," I said persistently.
"He’s gotta know that if he’s gonna be a Spur, he has to be perfect, like you, Mr. Ginobili."
I shrugged off that comment.
"I just think he could use the help of some of us with more…experience," I said tentatively.
Tony raised his eyebrows, and gave me a cute suggestive glance.
"Not that kind of experience," I said, chuckling and nudging him. "He looks like he could use a few friends to show him the ropes."
"Well, let’s show him some Texas hospitality then," he said as he swung around me and ran over to Beno.
After practice we went about our business, getting cleaned up and going over game plans with the other guys. I sat down after my shower to dry off when Tony scurried out of the shower and tackled Timmy playfully.
Seeing this, Beno sat next to me and said, "They must be very good friends, no?"
Grabbing the opportunity to get Tony off of the field, I answered, "Yes, best friends really. They seem to only want to be with each other."
"Oh," Beno said looking disappointed to hear that.
"But if you ever need a friend, I’m always here for you," I said, wrapping my arm around his shoulders and giving him a quick squeeze.
His face lit up after hearing this and I became very pleased, thinking that I had come closer to winning him over. We finished getting dressed in silence just listening to the other guys talking as I tried to get up the nerve to ask Beno over to my place for a drink and maybe more if all went well.
"Hey rookie," I called out, just as he was about to leave.
"Yeah?" he said, turning around.
"Well, I was just wondering if maybe you would like to talk more about what Pop is expecting from you this season?"
"Really? I would love to hear what someone like you thinks."
"Okay, grab your stuff and we’ll go over to my house."
He stumbled into my Navigator.
"I am sorry," he said, face burning, staring at a spot on the floor of my car. "Rasho’s car is much smaller to get into."
"You’ve been getting rides with Rasho?" I asked, giving him a sideways glance as I started my car.
"Yes, I do not have a car yet here. With the practices Pop has us playing, I have not had time to get a car," he paused, swallowing hard. "And, not to mention, I have no one to help me figure out San Antonio."
"Do you miss home?" I asked gently, putting a hesitant hand on his shoulder, all while stopping at a red light.
He reached up for my hand, grasped it firmly in his, and nodded with tears in his eyes.
Our moment was broken as a horn honked angrily behind us. I looked in my rear-view mirror to find Timmy’s Hummer, and Tony leaning over to honk the horn.
"Thanks Tony," I sardonically muttered under my breath.
The ride to my house was mostly silent, only punctured by my pathetic attempts at small talk. When we finally got to my house I was so nervous because I knew what was going to happen but I didn't know how Beno would react I still wasn’t completely sure if he would even be open to what I was going to offer him. And in a situation like that, one mistake and you could lose everything.
When we got inside, I headed to the fridge to grab a couple of beers. Alcohol always seemed to help in situations like these. I found Beno sitting on the couch looking around at pictures.
"Where is she?" he asked, holding up a picture of Marianela and I on our wedding day.
"Visiting family in Argentina," I said, taking the picture and handing him the beer as I sat down next to him. "So is there anyone back home that you miss?" I asked, hoping to get a little more insight into his personal life.
"My family, yes, I miss them a lot," he said with a sad smile.
"No, I mean like someone special to you that you miss?" I asked hesitantly.
He looked up at me with his gorgeous honey eyes and answered, "Yes, there was someone."
"Someone?" I leaned towards him, searching his face for further clues.
His face burned.
"Yes, someone," he sighed heavily, as he habitually rolled the warming beer in his hands before finally setting it down. "He was the greatest thing that had ever happened to me. I almost didn’t come here because of him. But now he is gone from my life."
"Oh, Beno," I breathed, as he collapsed against me, seeking a warm embrace.
"Manu," he whispered from my neck, "I do not know…" he trailed off.
"It’s okay. I’m here for you, I promise. I won’t hurt you."
My hands found his face, and I gently pulled him in, slowly, almost poetically…
BRRRRING! BRRRRRRING!
I closed my eyes, defeated.
"Hold that thought," I said, carefully unlodging myself from Beno. "I’ll be right back," I assured a very confused-looking rookie.
I sprinted to the door, knowing who I’d find there.
"Manu!" Tony said, edging his way in.
"No, Tony," I said forcefully, blocking his entrance. "Just stop for a moment."
Quick on and off the court, he breezed past me, heading straight to my kitchen, where he knew he’d find a beer or two.
My mind raced. I couldn’t let him find Beno on the couch. As much fun as being his cabana boy sounded, I would much rather see him at my service in a skimpy French maid outfit.
I ran into the kitchen and nearly tackled Tony, forcing him up against my counters.
"Manu, mon amie," Tony said, giggling, "what’s gotten into you tonight?"
As quick as Tony was on his feet, I was just as swift with my hands. I ran them down his chest to his hips, promptly seducing him. I kissed him forcefully, not caring if I bruised his lips or bit his tongue.
Then I got a brilliant idea.
I broke the kiss. As Tony blindly leaned in for more, I stepped away from the counter I had pinned him against, nearly causing him to fall off.
I stripped off my warm-up shirt, and deftly blindfolded Tony before he knew what hit him.
"Wha-"
"Just listen," I lifted him off the counter and grabbed his shoulders, steadying him "I’m gonna lead you to my room and I will be in after a while. Don’t take the blindfold off until you’re in there. Just go take a shower or run a bath or something, but do not come into the living room, no matter what. Got it?"
"I kinda like this, Manu," my small Frenchman said as I led him to my room, carefully avoiding the living room, where a certain rookie was still waiting.
"Then maybe I’ll do it again." I declared, kissing, biting, and sucking on his neck from behind. "Be good, Tony. I’ll be in soon."
I flung him onto my bed, then slammed the door shut.
I stood, leaning against the door for a moment, pondering my dilemma.
I had an eager Tony in my bedroom, and a scared, confused Beno in my living room. The question was, who was more important now?
Beno.
I ambled into my living room.
"That was Tony?" Beno stared up at me, seeming not to care that I was now shirtless.
"Yes," I said heavily as I regained my seat on the couch. "You don’t have to stay, I mean I should’ve told you that Tony and I – well, we’re friends, almost like him and Timmy."
"You mean that, you and him have…been together?" he asked, looking over at me.
I nodded.
"Oh, I see," Beno said quietly.
After a few moments of silence—
"The whole team is like a family, but I have to wonder, where will my place be?"
"Come here, Beno," I pulled him over on top of me.
He laid his head on my bare chest for a moment. I tenderly stroked his hair, then he propped his head up.
"I want my place to be here, Manu, right here."
His hand found my cheek, his fingers shyly tracing my lips.
"You don’t need to worry about that." I laughed.
I smiled as I thought of Tony opening the bathroom door to find the outfit he’d be wearing for his week here, serving me and my Beno.
credit/source: https://nba-slash.livejournal.com/1877.html

*Trade. Not grade. Please excuse my spelling mistake it's 2:00AM.
The potential Philadelphia 76ers starting lineup if LeBron James had signed with them this summer.
Gonna preface this with the statement that I am not a 76ers fan. I play a lot of daily fantasy NBA for money and do a lot of prop betting as we'll year-round so the NBA is almost always on my mind. Tonight, instead of going to bed and having an amount of sleep that a medical professional might consider "the bare minimum" I found myself thinking about the Philadelphia 76ers.
They have the building blocks for an amazing future with Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and, possibly, Jimmy Butler if they manage to re-sign him. But a question has been haunting me: What if LeBron James had signed with the 76ers this past summer? If he did, would they have gone as far to trade Robert Covington and Dario Saric for Jimmy Butler?
In my opinion, those four on the same team would come out of the East easily. I don't think any other team could take them past 6 games. You have the best player in basketball, a prototype of him running point, an absolute monster in the paint at center, an elite closer at the wing, and a knock down 3pt shooter to pass to.
The rotations would be a thing of beauty as well if Brett Brown could figure it out. You could have it so there is always an elite ball handler on the court (James, Simmons, and/or Butler). Once you deside to rest LeBron and Embiid you can put Chandler and Muscala out there with Simmons to stretch the floor. There are so many things this hypothetical team could do they'd likely be on cruise control the entire regular season.
They'd also be a prime landing spot for any veterans who are bought out by their teams halfway through the season. So any Trevor Ariza-like candidates would see this team and think they can be that missing piece for them.
Many have also asked the question if LeBron James could co-exist with Ben Simmons, due to Ben Simmons' inability to shoot beyond 20 feet. To those I'd like to point out one Lonzo Ball. Who has, contrary to popular belief, been getting his numbers. The only reason they've been so low is because, up until recently, Walton refused to play Lonzo over 30 minutes and would play him in weird 4-5 minute stints.
This hypothetical team would most likely be the best team in the East. I don't know man, I think I just miss LeBron being in the East. I hate staying up till 10:30 to watch his games and go to bed at 2:00 once they're over. Thanks for listening to my Ted Talk.

Last Post Recap: Singles (3-7, -3.96U) Parlay(2-0, +4.77U) BBDLS (0-2, -5.5U)
Recap: Not the best day. A few singles missed by 1. Kanter failed to live up to what was expecting. I still feel he is going to be a big piece of their playoff run and future. Still ready to crush a BBDLS! I didnt post yesterday. Honestly I played poker until 4am Fri night and slept until 2pm Sat. Also, I was banned from the sportsbook sub for posting my picks in the daily nba thread? I messaged the mods to ask why but no reply. I am going to assume its because I posted a link to this sub at the end of my analysis every day? But that would be weird because I add (in my opinion at least) some of the better content in that daily thread. Also, I have never asked for money (even though I have had pms offering donations or advising me to start a service and charge) and there are tons of users, losing users, who continuously post external links and pay for picks links yet I get banned with no explanation other than "excessive self promotion" lol. Anyway, I was going to finish out the NBA season and consider switching to MLB to see if my algorithm can translate to that sport after doing extremely well in NFL and translating fairly well to the NBA. But, if I do that I will probably post solely in this sub or maybe create a website because when I have posted my vlog in the poker sub (99 percent crap memes and shitty analysis of the game) i get banned because you cant share yourself with the community, only your shitty memes...and when i post legit content to the sportsbook sub (mostly shitty advice from break even/losing gamblers, no offence) I get banned. So if you're reading and following along with the analysis and picks, make sure to check back here for new content. Its already afternoon on Sun so Ill skip the early game, lets find some value!
Analysis:
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DAL/OKC: Dal has been putting up some fights lately. There season is done but they are doing their best to see what the young guys have to offer for next season. OKC has flip flopped their last 4 both winning and losing at home and away. I could see OKC opening as a favorite. 5, 7, even 9.5 if sharps saw them as a blowout...but 12.5?! How? Yes, the last time these two met OKC won by 20 at home. But the way each team has been playing lately I could see DAL covering such a big line. Shoot, I could see DAL winning a 2 point game with a Donic last second shot.***Wait, just read Donic is out. I could see many OKC blowouts now :P***
​
LAL/NOP: Now that the playoff pressure is off, LA has been playing pretty well with wins in 3 of their last 4. NO also got an upset of the Kings in their last outing but other than that are meh. I know I said I was done with LA after their playoff miss, but now I kinda like the vibe they have going with 0 pressure. This would feel like a game to take over for me but Im getting somewhere in the 230-235 range and thats too close. Maybe if it was 230 or below I would take over. Bron out. AD, Q. I dont have a line for it, but i would look at Popes points total over if you have it.
​
SAC/SAS: SAC off losses in 3 out of their last 4. SA also with a bit of a struggle going 2-3 in their last 5 after beating the warriors. I love the spurs to continue to assert the Defensive will at home but 11 is a lot of points to fade. If there is someone to cover one of the bigger spreads tonight I would put my faith in SA at home vs some of the other big spreads today but still 11 is a lot...
​
WAS/DEN: WAS is done for the season in terms of post season chances. However, they are still playing the starters and trying to compete. For how long though, who knows? DEN has flip flopped in their last 5, but their 2 losses were both on the road. This game to me just comes down to how bad WAS wants to compete. They can easily play their starters, compete in the game and keep it close...but i have a feeling its more likely the Joker dominates the middle and carries DEN to an easy win.
​
CHA/GS: CHA has been playing well lately with wins in 4 of 5 (3 over playoff teams). GS has been up and down lately with two dominate performances and 2 weird losses. I view this game exactly like the DEN/WAS game. CHA totally has a chance but its up to them to play starters and fight. I think DEN has a better chance at a blowout, but this game has a better chance to hit the over as there is less blowout potential.
​
MEM/LAC: MEM has been struggling going 3-3 recently and they are playing a b2b tonight. The Clippers also playing a b2b but have the luxury of playing home home and they went into yesterdays 4th Q with a 10 point lead carrying them into an easier victory than MEM. Still, 9 points is a lot here. I know MEM isnt playing for anything and LA is trying to catch UTAH for better playoff seating but still, 9/9.5 is a lot of points. Normally I would love the over in this matchup but double b2bs has me skeptical.
​
Today's Singles (Overall Total: 213-203-2, +53.07U) All bets without a wager listed are 1u @ -110

• LA ml (2U to win 3.2U)
• JaVale McGee 16.5 PTs Over (1.25U to win 1U)
• JaVale McGee 11.5 RBDs Over (2U to win 2.1U)
• Julius Randle 23.5 PTs Over (0.63U to win 0.5U)
• Julius Randle 8.5 RBDs Over (2.3U to win 2U)
• Nikola Jokic 20.5 PTs Over (0.8U to win 0.5U)
• Nikola Jokic 11.5 RBDs Over (1U to win 1U)
• OKC -12
• MEM +10
• LAL 234.5 Over
• SAS 227 Under
• WAS 226 Over
• GS 229 Over
• MEM 221.5 Over
• Lines are not out yet, but I will be all over JoVals props.

​
​
Basic Parlay(35-58, +25.77U) and BIG BOY DADDY LONG SHOT PARLAY (2-46,+2.25U)
Basic:

• OKC -7.5 ,GS -7.5, LAL +7.5 MEM +7.5, DEN 1Q ml (1U to win 13.2U)

​
BBDLS:

• OKC -8, MEM +14, LAL 230.5 O, MEM 217.5 O, CHA 225 O, DEN 222 O, SAS 231 U, LAL +8 (3.3U to win 33U)

Thanks for reading, Good luck all!

The Miami Heat & the Dallas Mavericks, two teams, currently wading through what you could call the final iteration of the once mighty titans who battled it out in the 2011 NBA finals, now find themselves in a similar position once again. Ironically, this time they battle on the other end of the spectrum
In the aftermath of the 2011 finals, it would’ve been difficult to predict that these two teams would cross paths in the fashion they find themselves now, especially so soon.
For Miami, things weren’t supposed to go like this (Don’t get me wrong, Miami was wildly successful & no one will tell you otherwise). Despite a slight derailment in their first go at things, 2017 should be the year Miami goes for the 6th of 7 titles in a row they’re going to bring Miami. LeBron will probably still battle the incumbent western conference powerhouse this June, but it won’t be in South Beach. Miami had an awful turn of luck dragging them from great, down to good, then up to really good, then down to not good, then all the way down to where they find themselves today. The real tragedy of Miami’s situation is that there really isn’t anyone you can fault. This team should AT worst be a Dragic, Richardson, Winslow, Bosh, Whiteside team with Tyler Johnson Old man role Wade & a few others coming off the bench. That team is likely at least the 4 seed in the east right now. At best, Lebron doesn’t get homesick, the Heat still hit the Whiteside lottery & the Heatles get the super center they imagined when Greg Oden had signed originally.
Problem is, thrombophilia doesn’t care what ‘should happen’, anti-factor Xa injectable anticoagulants don’t care that there’s a game at 4pm tonight, followed by a cross country flight, followed by a 9pm game tomorrow night with another cross country flight after that.
We can control our health, we can only do our best to maintain it & plan around it. I feel awful about the fact that Chris Bosh is in the situation he is in, the man is going to have to battle this for the rest of his life. The league lost a top 15 player, & as a franchise has fallen hard as a result of this precipitous situation.
Now the Heat find themselves in the reality of our 2017, and a team who started out the season as one of the worst in the league who has since propped up that dreadful start with an NBA leading winning streak, led by an unlikely cast of characters, starring possible renaissance revival candidate Dion Waiters (who may actually be a reincarnation of, ironically enough, Dallas Mavericks OJ Mayo.) The hard question this winning streak brings up is: which face of this Jekyll & Hyde act is the real Heat? The reality of the situation is probably somewhere in between, which puts the Heat somewhere between 10th to 7th in the East, also known as no mans land. Advanced statistics support this as well, Goran, Waiter, Whiteside as a 3 man unit have been bad together, but multiple permutations of 2 man combinations of those 3 have been very good on the court. The combination just doesn’t have a lot of synergy together. Add onto that the high probability of Mayo Waiters getting an overpay this offseason by a team looking for a young bench scorer & it becomes even harder to imagine this team sustaining this high of a level of play with its’ current core. The converse to that arguement however is health. Josh Richardson, who looked like an absolute star in the making last season has been dealing with knee & foot injuries all year while high draft pick Justice Winslow has apparently signed up for the Marcus Smart health plan for Rookies & Sophomores. Richardson & possibly Winslow (if his shot ever stops being a liability) would surely prop up the Heat & sure up their defense.
There is A LOT to like about the Miami Heat as we’ll see soon. But things aren’t exactly smooth sailing back to the top.
For the Dallas Mavericks, the writing was clear on the wall, a 3 seed team in a young and upcoming conference being dragged through the playoffs by a twilight superstar in his last throws,a hodge-podge of 3 point sharpshooter who got hot at just the right time & a few diners club card holding stars trying to give it one last go before the move to Boca.While the precipitous decline of the Dallas Mavericks could have been predicted with quite a high degree of accuracy, the too were dealt their fair share of god awful luck. The flashpoint for that luck will be tagged by many as June 29, 2015. While the DJ chronicles no doubt set the franchise back a huge amount, the rotten luck in the gamble on Chandler Parsons indirectly negatively influenced just about every event that occurred afterwards. These two unfortunate turn of events led the Mavericks to clogging up their books with players like Wes Matthews & Deron Williams, & trading away great young talent & picks for the likes of post ACL repair too smart for the NBA Rajon Rondo. All in an attempt to give Dirk one last score, to allow him to go out more like Tim Duncan& MJ, less like Kobe or worse, Pierce. Now they find themselves in this strange situation we see before ourselves today.
Like the Heat, The Mavericks started the season out very poorly and have propped up those numbers by lighting on fire in the past few weeks, also like the Heat, they’ve been propped up by an unlikely cast of characters, starring a guy who couldn’t stick on the Brooklyn Nets roster. The Mavericks young guys also come from very low pedigree. Outside of Harrison Barnes, who is likely the best player on both teams, their next highest drafted player was non-lotto pick Justin Anderson.
While the Mavericks seem to be in a very similar position to the Heat right now, there are a lot of subtle intricacies that make the paths these two will take back to the top fairly different.
Before I jump into the nitty gritty, I’m going to lay out the situation a bit more clearly

Miami Heat

Depth Chart
Contracts
Picks
538 projections
BBallRef projections
LAY OUT ROSTERS FOR NEXT SEASON AS OF NOW
SPECIAL SITUATION:
CHRIS BOSH

• The Miami Heat will very likely be applying for special injury exception in the next few months or so(as outlined here), which will pull Bosh’s money off the books and instantly reopen a huge amount of space for Pat to play with, if he so chooses.

Dallas Mavericks

Depth Chart
Contracts
Picks
538 projections
BBallRef projections
LAY OUT ROSTERS FOR NEXT SEASON AS OF NOW
SPECIAL SITUATION:
DIRK RETIRING* or opting out:

• The strong possibility of Dirk retiring (or opting out) this offseason which takes his contract commitment off the books & allows the Mavericks a not so insignificant amount of cap space to play with. Dirk can then hang 'em up, or resign a 1 year max deal after that allowing Dallas to add a big time free agent & Dirk to get yet another big pay day.

U25 Player Ranking:

1. Barnes
2. ---
3. ---
4. Richardson
5. Winslow
6. Anderson
7. Yogi
8. Johnson
9. Finney-Smith
10. Brussino
11. White

A note regarding this season, the 2017 draft, & 'tanking'
If you look at the middle 1/3 of the NBA standings you will note that it is incredibly packed, more so than it has been in a long time. The NBA middle class is thriving while there are fewer cellar-dwellers & contenders than there have been at any point this decade. Now, that speaks to the quality of the league to some extent, but it also shows that there is a very solid niche to be taken advantage of, should a GM jump at the chance. This draft is SOLID. One of the best drafts in years. & while the draft seems very deep, the top of the draft also looks to be amazing with as many as 5 franchise quality point guards & a few other very high quality wings that could serve as the ideal pieces to plug into a rebuilding squad. That is where these current, potentially unsustainable improvements in play hurt the Mavs & Heat (as fun as it is to watch). The top of the draft seems like it's filled with more surefire players while the middle of the lottery is filled with high ceiling potential projects & low ceiling peak role players.
Unlike the playoff race where the in at the beginning of the season are far less important than wins in the later months as things get tight, wins&losses in the first half of the season often play the most important role in determining lottery odds because good teams are more prone to give up bad losses that they wouldn't otherwise sacrifice come crunch time.
These winning streaks are a blast to watch right now. But they may come back to bite the organizations come May. Fultz/Smith/Jackson look like they may be franchise type players & while Bridges& Rabb look like nice pieces, they're certainly a downgrade.
While I may have painted a gloomy picture of these two franchises futures, there are lots of reasons to believe there is a bright light at the end of each teams respective tunnel.
Both teams are fortunate enough to possess great leadership from ownership all the way down to head coach. As long as Mickey Arison, Pat Riely, Erik Spoelstra, Marc Cuban(despite all his eccentricities), Don Nelson, & Rick Carlisle are all kept in place, you can bet things will be looking up sooner rather than later. Now that is no guarantee to be sure. Pat Riley is 71 years old & could retire at anytime, Carlisle is arguably the best coach outside San Antonio & following the Doc Rivers model is not too far outside the realm of possibilities, & despite a strong track record, his insistence in putting his fingerprints all over his franchise coupled with his eccentricity& lack of real basketball expertise could lead Cuban into making Ranadive/Larry Lucchino moves without strong management to call him on his decisions.
On top of great management & ownership & coaching (which is an incredibly rare combination for a team to possess) Dallas & Miami also have a few more cards up their sleeves that few franchises possess:

• Warm Weather
• A night life
• A big market
• No income tax
• See point 3

These are huge free agent draws, especially 4, these teams can essentially offer any player more money than many other franchises without effecting their cap & free agents can be assured that they’ll be placed in a stable environment with competent leadership, a paycheck, something to do at night, & a market to take advantage of.
Barring those (somewhat) unlikely GM/Coach flight scenarios I touched on above, these teams are in a good spot because of that. Look back at the bottom of the standings for the past decade or so, there is a STRONG correlation between frequency of appearance & managerial aptitude. Sure good management loses, but they seem to bounce back to a competent team fairly quickly, contrast that with more poorly run teams, they constantly appear in the mix for bottom 5 year in & year out.
Both teams also possess a nice mix of oldein their prime talent coupled with really nice young prospects. What this affords them is a modicum of flexibility. Sure they’re both locked into somewhat exorbitant contracts but both teams, depending on their willingness to compromise, have the ability to go young & build around their prospects or try to get some more (closer to) competition ready type players for a quick retooling.
I polled a lot of people on twitter trying to get a general consensus on how most fans felt about each organization going forwards,a vast majority said Miami had the clearer path, I'm personally not so sure it is that clear cut.
Now on the surface it looks like Miami is in better shape going forward, the have to good prime players that could yield a decent return as well as 3 very good prospects to build around. Contrast that to Dallas whose only real good talent is Harrison Barnes (who may be the best player on both teams, but still) & Wes Matthews on an albatross of a contract. Whether Justin Anderson is good or not remains to be seen, but in season 2 he is currently third at his position in the depth chart. Yogi has been a flash in the pan, but it remains to be seen if he is just this years New York Knicks Jeremy Lin, or if he’s the next Isaiah Thomas (or likely something in between). Finley-Smith & Brussino have both looked good enough to be players on this roster going forward, but neither have shown me that they belong in the Johnson/Richardson stratosphere. Winslow has been an interesting case, with likely the highest ceiling of any young player on either team, he has absolutely struggled with consistency, injuries, & shooting seemingly from the get go. At times he looks like he could be something very special, at other times he looks like a pure defensive wing specialist in the vein every fan in Boston/Carolina fears Smart/MKG may end up.
Where Dallas really recoups is picks, in that they actually own theirs. unlike Miami who has owed to Phoenix an unprotected first in 2021, and a top-seven protected first in 2018 which turns into a unprotected first in 2019 if not conferred, for the acquisition of Goran Dragic. Both teams own their picks in this upcoming deep draft class, & with a strong pick history, their odds are high that they’ll add another talented prospect this off season (with a potential mid to hi lotto pick), although the current winning revival both teams are experiencing may be counterproductive to the cause. Missing picks in 2017 could severely hinder the Miami Heats efforts to attempt a rebuild. Their best hopes in a rebuild are to try to recoup some of the value lost in acquiring Goran (which will be difficult to do) & thinking really hard about trying to move Whiteside for what should be a decent return. As I outlined above, Dallas is in a much worse spot concerning current assets, they have very little by way of talent to retool around & as far as movable assets to finance a rebuild Barnes(who I would not advocate moving), Matthews, Bogut, & DWill are all they really have.
There are a couple of general ways that each of these franchises can attempt to steer their respective ships. Obviously there are a thousand variations on a theme and gray areas between each category as 28 other teams fluidly change the landscape of the NBA in each passing moment, but the generalize themes lay a pretty solid ground work. They could also go out & make very bad moves (for example trading for Ibaka & signing Jeff green, Augusitin, Watson, & Biyumbo on a clearly very young team with a center) but I trust in the management of these teams enough to not believe that they would do such a thing. I am therefore going to only lay out smart(ish) plans. For an idea on the style check out my Wizards breakdown
*To start, I should say that both plans are predicated upon Chris Bosh being waived via the injury exception & Dirk Nowitzki retiring (or opting out) at seasons end. That clears up a lot of room for each team to work with.

Dallas Mavericks

Go young
The Moves:
Trade Bogut/ DWill (if possible) for literally anything young that you can get, if you can’t, let them walk Try to move Wes without giving up too much to do so. It may be incredibly difficult to move Wes & sitting on his contract won’t be the end of the world. But freeing up that money & minutes for the young guys should be the goal. Wes is exactly the type of player that a contender makes a desperate move to grab at the deadline in the next few seasons to try & sure up wing depth.
Potential Rotation:
Yogi/Wes Mathews (probably)/Finney-Smith/Barnes/Powell Curry/Anderson/Brussino/Mejri + this years pick & a few prospects from trades
The good: This team is YOUNG and there’s some solid pieces here going forward. Also future lottery picks may come up big here.
The bad: This team is particularly bad. There are no real big men here & Barnes is the only player with real flashes of star potential to be seen.
Go young(ish)
The Moves: Same as above but, with much more focus on moving Wes, even if it means moving prospects to get teams to bite. -this has the dual benefit of opening up a ridiculous amount of cap space and greatly increasing this years lottery odds.
Potential Rotation:
Yogi/Monk/Barnes/Powell/Noel Curry/Anderson & bench depth
The good: This team is good again right away, probably getting better with time too. This is probably my personal favorite as the Mavs don’t really lose anything other than pick equity, they compete immediately & have an improving team going forward.
The bad: This free agency class is pretty weak & Dallas will probably have to overpay to get any real additions to their roster that fit their age window at all.
Go (crazy) young
The Moves: Same as go young, but trade Barnes for prospects as well
Potential Rotation:
Top 3 point guard from draft/ Anderson/ Finney-Smith/ top prospect from trade/ Powell Bench of a mix of current players under contract & young guys you make bets on + picks.
The good: This team should get some very good prospects out of the deal, teams like Boston( who loved him early on & even tried to move Pierce for him straight up allegedly) or Denver would likely shell out for a player like Barnes. Also again, lottery picks
The bad: Congrats guys the Nets are no longer the worst team in basketball.

The Heat

Re-up
The Moves: Ride together, die together
Potential Rotation:
-Dragic/ Waiters/ Richardson/ Player signed with Bosh money (Ibaka?)/ Whiteside -Tyler Johnson/ Winslow/ this years pick/Ellington/Reed/White
Congratulation the future of your franchise now rests on the shoulders of Dion Waiters
The good: This team will at least be fun to watch (maybe in a Bulls/Knicks/Kings kind of way?) Also signing someone like Ibaka, who may be the most similar player in the league skill set wise to Chris Bosh, allows you to replicate the team that Pat Riley probably originally envisioned.
The bad: You probably just overpaid Dion Waiters, so, your team rests on Waiters, older Tragic, & Whiteside from here on out Also you’re blocking 2 or three of your best prospects from the court going forward, so you may end up trading them for an in their prime forward.
Go young
The Moves: Try to recoup what you can for Dragic, dangle out Waiters & Whiteside see whats on the table
Potential Rotation: -(Smith/Monk/Isaac/Jackson/Tatum)/ Tyler johnson/Jrich/Winslow/Whiteside -Ellington/Reed/White
The good: This team gets a little bit of the best of both worlds, picks, youth, & a huge trade chip in Whiteside going forward because there isn’t a huge rush to move him after this season because the Heat don’t own their own picks. This also opens a lot of space for the Heat to try to hit on a free agent in the next 2 offseason
The bad: Whiteside might keep their heads above water & tank their pick this season & may significantly hurt his trade value if he regresses.
Go (crazy) young
The Moves: -Move Whiteside, Dragic, Waiters, for as much value as you can get tank & take advantage of the pick that you do own
Potential Rotation:
-(Smith/Monk/Isaac/Jackson/Tatum) / Tyler johnson/Jrich/Winslow/Reed/White
The good: This team digs themselves out of their equity hole, has a fun young team with a bunch of chips going forward
The bad: This team won’t be good unless the player they draft this year is a hit right away. Without those picks they sent to Phoenix, they’re essentially trapped in the same hole Brooklyn currently finds themselves digging out of.

Conclusion:

So I started this article by outlining the seemingly incredibly similar situation these two teams have found themselves in yet again after clashing in 2011. In ending, I have shown that, while on the surface their situations look incredibly similar, if you dig a little deeper you can see that these two paths are likely going to diverge quite radically yet again in the not so distant future.
As I had said, I had talked to a lot of very intelligent people about which team had the clearer path & brighter future going forward & resoundingly ‘Miami’ was given as the answer. I however am not so sure. Miami most certainly has more options going forward as a re-up is easier & results in a better team than anything Dallas could cobble together this offseason, & Miami probably has better prospects currently than Dallas does. But Dallas controls their own destiny in a way that Miami does not, Dallas has multiple draft picks going forward, the best player on both teams & in having less options, they also have less chances to make huge mistakes & get trapped on the treadmill of mediocrity.
But who knows, maybe both teams will elect to follow the same path & maybe they’ll lock horns again in the 2021 NBA finals.

References:

Dirk Article Bosh Article Sporttrac.com NBATankathon.com basketball-reference.com HoopsHype.com RealGM.com (Ryan Bernardoni)(aka @dangercart) WIZ ARTICLE BROOKLYN ARTICLE
Edits & Notes by: @SamSheehan , give him a follow on Twitter

Last Post Recap: Singles (2-11, -10U) Parlay(0-3, -4.4U) BBDLS (0-2, -1.5U)
Recap: Well, well, well. Yesterday was not the best day I have ever had. Played a WSOP Ring event at Harrahs in Atlantic City and busted on the first hand. Thought it was a potential blessing in disguise as it gave me time to do my NBA Analysis but unfortunately it lead to my worst day so far, haha. Three of my picks missed by half a point. But even if all 3 of them covered we would have still gone 4-11 for -2 Units in the singles. Oh well, this is why we make sure we are playing with a small amount relative to the total Bankroll. Lets pick our selves up, dust ourselves off, and start the climb again!
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Analysis:
NY/IND: IND off back to back road losses and are 2-5 in their last 7. Sabonis is back but played horribly in his first game. NY is riding a 6 game losing streak and is struggling to find competent offense. This feels like the type of game IND gets back on track with and does a standard 107-98 type of win. In a low projected game I am not sure there are many props to find value on. Might look at the NY team total.
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CLE/PHL: CLE is coming off a big win that was one of our only winning plays yesterday. Embid is back for PHL and put up a respectable 33 and 12 in his first game back in a low scoring game. I see this closer to a -12 than a -16. This is a ton of points. Ill probably lean CLE or stay away and just watch how PHL develops. ***Nevermind, just saw Love is out, Butler is out and Thompson out. I feel like this will be an EZ$ philly game. Like 111-86. Good chance ill look at CLE team total.
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LAL/CHI: The Lakers are on a 5 game losing streak and start a 5 game road trip today. CHI is actually 6-6 in their last 12 with 2 of those losses coming to MIL. The model has the Lakers at -4 but it doesnt take into account Lebrons reduced minutes and all the LA drama happening with injuries. I could see either team winning this coin flip but slightly favor CHI if Lavine is back in the lineup. *** Just saw Lavine is ruled out. I slightly favor the Lakers now, but will probably stay away from this one. Cause the Lakers have broken my heart too much recently**\*
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MIL/NO: The Bucks appear to be somewhat slumping. They are having a great overall season, but are 2-3 SU in their last 5 with all three losses coming on the road. NO appeared to be picking it up at the beginning of March, winning three straight. But just as fast as they acquired those wins, they also acquired three straight losses. Normally I would take the Bucks to win just about any game, but this is one of those spots where I can see the variables converging to give the home team an upset.
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SA/DAL: This is another interesting one to me. The Spurs have won 5 in a row but are NOTICEABLY worse on the road compared to home. DAL isnt really playing for anything except future development but played a fantastic game last against HOU. If Donic is back healthy tonight (which he appears to be as he came back into last nights game for the final play) i could see DAL pulling the upset. If he is not healthy, I could see SA getting an easy win.
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MIN/DEN: Hmm. KAT sat out last game but looks like he will be back for this one. DEN has lost 4 of their last 5 but open up 3 game at home tonight. I could see either way on this one. DEN could come out and crush it and start of a 3 game home stand. MIN could get KAT back and he could go for 40 and keep the game close, covering the spread or possibly winning it. My model has this game at -9 and Vegas is basically matched so I may stay away from spreads.
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POLAC: The clippers dominated BOS yesterday. Unfortunately, I had BOS in my write up. Fortunately, I was doing late night research and found a website that has a data set tracking REFs. It shows how often a ref calls fouls, how often they hit totals and how often the home team wins/covers the spread when these refs are working. I was intrigued and looked up the REFs in that game. The website predicted LA had a REF advantage so I took a pregame bet of LA -2.5 that worked out nicely. (I wont include that in my win/loss records because I dont add in winning/losing bets that are made but not posted in the article) LA is on fire right now winning 5 in a row. POR is 3-3 in their last 6 but has had a few days rest. This game has the highest projected pace on the day and both teams are averaging 120 in their last 3 games. Although, LA just played last night and might be a little sluggish today... Ill probably stay with the hot hand in LA.
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Today's Singles (Overall Total: 140-116, +57.75U)

• DeAndre Jordan 10.5 RBDs Under
• CLE TEAM Total 103.5 Under --- 2U
• Lauri Markkanen 10.5 RBDs Over --- 2U
• NO ml (+500) --- (0.5U)
• NO +11
• Julius Randle 23.5 PTs Over --- 2U
• DAL ml (+185) --- (0.54U to win 1U)
• Damian Lillard 6.5 ASTs Over
• Damian Lillard 25.5 PTs Over
• LAC ml (+120) --- 2U

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Basic Parlay(18-38, -7.8U) and BIG BOY DADDY LONG SHOT PARLAY (1-23, -1U)
Basic:

• NO+5.5 (+205), LAC -2 (+140), Lauri Markkanen 10.5 RBDs O (1U to win 12.2U)
• CLE TT 103.5 U, Julius Randle 23.5 PTs O (1U to win 2.3U)

BBDLS:

• NO, LAC, PHL ( all mls), MIN +8.5, DAL +5 (1U to win 49.8U)
• IND, PHL, LAC, DAL +5 and Under 217.5, NO +11 (1u to win 16.6U)

Well this is the end. Mad props to this team for making this a series after looking dead after the first two games and props to Wall, Scott,Beal, and Lawson for some great moments. All three home games in the playoffs were fun and this team really exceeded my expectations in the playoffs.
That being said this team underachieved and while losing to a good team like Toronto in a long series does not make this season a failure....going into the playoffs as the team with the worst record does.
This game was a microcosm of the season...great spurts but coaching, energy, and basic basketballl IQ ruins it all.
KO put a lot of pressure on himself by running his mouth after playing so so this entire series and played like absolute crap. He made a fool of himself once again and while I appreciate his tenacity his end of the season was poor to say the least. If he wants the payday he was looking like a shoe in for earlier this season hes gonna need to really step up.
Now the worst part about tonight was the lethargic play. The body language tonight was absolutely poor. For a team facing elimination they did not play with urgency except at the start of the game and the end of the 3rd. The guys looked exhausted and frustrated throughout the game even when we had the lead and it felt like they were waiting on the other shoe to drop. Once the offense did not get going you could tell how frustrated they were and once the Raptors took the lead in the fourth they firmly believed it was over. The fact that these pros have effort as an issue despite getting paid millions of dollars is disgusting.
The biggest reason we are in this position right now and the reason we lost the game tonight boils down to coaching. Everything leads to how the team was built and coaching. Tonight anyone at the arena could tell you that they needed to play Scott more and pull Gortat but Brooks literally sat on his hands and did not make moves. He let the offense resort to iso ball and turnovers and did not make any changes until they were too late. Gortat literally allowed 8 point swings at a time with missed point blank shots, rebounds, and the points off WIDE OPEN lanes to the basket but Brooks apparently missed what everyone in the arena saw. There was literally no excuse to not play Mike Scott in that situation but Brooks literally sat on his hand. Casey coached this series, he stuck with his bench unit when they were hot but Brooks did not make lineup changes when something did not work. The offense was painful to watch most of the night and in an elimination game I feel like they should be trying everything.
Want to know what stupidity is? Trying something that does not work over and over and expecting it to work. That is what Brooks did with Gortat tonight. I know he is not going to get fired but a poor start next year is almost a guarantee for him to lose his job at this point. He allowed the team to come out lethargic and he did not make the adjustments a playoff coach should make in a winnable game.
So where to go from here? I think that no matter what you have to part with Gortat's contract ...he literally tore up the locker room this year and has become obsolete in the NBA....I do not see a way in which he can stay I think he burned a bridge this season.
I also think they need to explore trading porter in order to make a run at Boogie. If Boogie does indeed leave New Orleans....the Wizards if they had the means would most likely be a top destination. I know there are a lot of ifs in that scenario but I get the impression that OPJ has some issues here and that a new start might be best for him. I know we just paid him but the reality is that hes going to have to become a more aggressive player in order to live up to that contract and that does not happen unless he works with brad and john to establish a set role on the offense (and possibly fix some off court issues). Being just a spot up shooter is just wasting his potential....OP can be a solid rebounder and defender as well with his length and I think he needs to work with Jon and Beal more to establish some chemistry...if that does not happen he wont ever reach his potential and maybe that happens somewhere else. He is the most likely of the big three to leave.
I think that this team vastly underacheived this season and besides ridding themselves of Gortat and making some more bench signings ( and resigning Scott) they need to really look within to improve. Fix the little things like free throws and SHOW UP TO PLAY EVERY GAME and I bet this team is a 4-5 seed contender in the East next year.
I know that a mid playoff seed contender seems like same old same old for this team but the reality is that until they start running an actual offensive system ( non iso ball) and players make the sacrifice for it, OPJ and KO reach their ceilings, rid themselves of locker room cancers like Gortat, and fix their attitude that ranges from coaches down to players they will never reach their ceiling.
The best thing that could happen to this team in the offseason is not a new coach...its not a new GM....its not even a star player...it is a new attitude. If the team's attitude improves we will all be having a suprisingly fun season next year no matter what. If the attitude does not improve however...its going to be just like this season...no matter who we sign or what we do.
I feel like attitude ruined this season and will define how the rest of the Wall-Beal Era plays out. See you all next season. I promise I will still rant

Last Post Recap: Singles (2-11, -10U) Parlay(0-3, -4.4U) BBDLS (0-2, -1.5U)
Recap: Well, well, well. Yesterday was not the best day I have ever had. Played a WSOP Ring event at Harrahs in Atlantic City and busted on the first hand. Thought it was a potential blessing in disguise as it gave me time to do my NBA Analysis but unfortunately it lead to my worst day so far, haha. Three of my picks missed by half a point. But even if all 3 of them covered we would have still gone 4-11 for -2 Units in the singles. Oh well, this is why we make sure we are playing with a small amount relative to the total Bankroll. Lets pick our selves up, dust ourselves off, and start the climb again!
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Analysis:
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NY/IND: IND off back to back road losses and are 2-5 in their last 7. Sabonis is back but played horribly in his first game. NY is riding a 6 game losing streak and is struggling to find competent offense. This feels like the type of game IND gets back on track with and does a standard 107-98 type of win. In a low projected game I am not sure there are many props to find value on. Might look at the NY team total.
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CLE/PHL: CLE is coming off a big win that was one of our only winning plays yesterday. Embid is back for PHL and put up a respectable 33 and 12 in his first game back in a low scoring game. I see this closer to a -12 than a -16. This is a ton of points. Ill probably lean CLE or stay away and just watch how PHL develops.***Nevermind, just saw Love is out, Butler is out and Thompson out. I feel like this will be an EZ$ philly game. Like 111-86. Good chance ill look at CLE team total.
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LAL/CHI: The Lakers are on a 5 game losing streak and start a 5 game road trip today. CHI is actually 6-6 in their last 12 with 2 of those losses coming to MIL. The model has the Lakers at -4 but it doesnt take into account Lebrons reduced minutes and all the LA drama happening with injuries. I could see either team winning this coin flip but slightly favor CHI if Lavine is back in the lineup. *** Just saw Lavine is ruled out. I slightly favor the Lakers now, but will probably stay away from this one. Cause the Lakers have broken my heart too much recently**\*
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MIL/NO: The Bucks appear to be somewhat slumping. They are having a great overall season, but are 2-3 SU in their last 5 with all three losses coming on the road. NO appeared to be picking it up at the beginning of March, winning three straight. But just as fast as they acquired those wins, they also acquired three straight losses. Normally I would take the Bucks to win just about any game, but this is one of those spots where I can see the variables converging to give the home team an upset.
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SA/DAL: This is another interesting one to me. The Spurs have won 5 in a row but are NOTICEABLY worse on the road compared to home. DAL isnt really playing for anything except future development but played a fantastic game last against HOU. If Donic is back healthy tonight (which he appears to be as he came back into last nights game for the final play) i could see DAL pulling the upset. If he is not healthy, I could see SA getting an easy win.
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MIN/DEN: Hmm. KAT sat out last game but looks like he will be back for this one. DEN has lost 4 of their last 5 but open up 3 game at home tonight. I could see either way on this one. DEN could come out and crush it and start of a 3 game home stand. MIN could get KAT back and he could go for 40 and keep the game close, covering the spread or possibly winning it. My model has this game at -9 and Vegas is basically matched so I may stay away from spreads.
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POLAC: The clippers dominated BOS yesterday. Unfortunately, I had BOS in my write up. Fortunately, I was doing late night research and found a website that has a data set tracking REFs. It shows how often a ref calls fouls, how often they hit totals and how often the home team wins/covers the spread when these refs are working. I was intrigued and looked up the REFs in that game. The website predicted LA had a REF advantage so I took a pregame bet of LA -2.5 that worked out nicely. (I wont include that in my win/loss records because I dont add in winning/losing bets that are made but not posted in the article) LA is on fire right now winning 5 in a row. POR is 3-3 in their last 6 but has had a few days rest. This game has the highest projected pace on the day and both teams are averaging 120 in their last 3 games. Although, LA just played last night and might be a little sluggish today... Ill probably stay with the hot hand in LA.
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Today's Singles (Overall Total: 140-116, +57.75U)

• All picks posted in CreateYoureReality

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Good luck to everyone! :D

Hi everyone! I recently posted a video about my life with professional poker and my recent experience betting the NFL season. Over the past few weeks I have taken a crack at NBA as well and posting in the daily nba thread. I like what ive seen over here so I thought I would post. Please enjoy my picks and if you would like to follow my poker ride too, check out my post history! Good luck to all!
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Today is a huge slate and its the biggest amount of bets I have placed in a single NBA day. Lets jump right in!
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HOU/CHA: Hou off beating GS in GS w/o Harden. CHA off a tough loss to BK. Both off rest. My model has this closer to a PK. CP has put up 3 20+ pt games and CHA is really vunerable to PGs assists. Ill be looking at CP AST. If it is 7.5 I will hammer the over, 8.5 med bet, 9.5 small bet. 10.5 no bet.
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WAS/BK: WAS has lost 3 in a row giving up 120+. BK off back to back wins. Both off rest. Both teams really would love to have this win considering the playoff implications it could have. WAS is pretty vulnerable to rebounding vs. centers. Its a high number but it is an attainable one, I like Jarrett Allen 9.5 RBDs OVER. Might also take a look at De'Angelo Russel 8.5 AST (+110) OVER and Bobby Portis 8.5 RBDs OVER.
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GS/MIA: GS off a win, MIA off a loss. Im not really sure where to put either team right now. GS is a good team but has been struggling with these larger spreads. MIA is pretty inconsistent right now deciding if its playoffs or next season. As per my trend, I am loving Whiteside. His numbers are a bit high, 12.5 PTS and 11.5 RBDs, but I would look at both. **random thought... if MIA makes a push for the playoffs, maybe they win this game? They just lost to GS by 2 in GS a few games ago, whos to say they cant win at home? **Cousins out makes whiteside all the more juicy*\* I dont have it but if you have odds for Klay T 3 pointers, i would look over. Cousins out, i think more shots all around, he will take a good amount of 3s.
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MIN/ATL: Min off a good win against a good club. Alt up and down with mostly down but has looked pretty promising lately. ATL center John Collins has been getting the minutes and showing that he wants to be a big piece in the rebuild. MIN has been susceptible to centers in both scoring and rebounding. His numbers are a little high but this looks like a good matchup. Also this game looks ripe for a close high scoring affair pushing the total. Looking at most scorers and the over.
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POBOS: Portland off a win, and rest. BOS playing a back to back off a loss. My model has this closer to Bos -6. Is the possible adjustment because too many sharps would hammer Portland plus that many? Nurkic had a great game against BOS last time around and is in a good rhythm. I would look to him to do some work inside.
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CHI/MEM: Both looking decent lately and played Monday. Bulls lost, but it was to the Bucks and MEM got an upset over LAL. Jonas Valanciunas has been rocking it recently and I look for him to continue. I like his pts and RBD potential while MEM claims another victory.
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IND/DAL: The model has this slightly in DAL favor. I am going to say that Vegas is correcting for IND recent play. Probably avoid the spread but really liking Dwight Powell 7.5 RBDs OVER. He has only reached this in 4 of his last 10 but wih Sabonis D/O for INDY I think both he and Turner will get more board opportunities.
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DET/SA: My model has SA closer to 6 pt favorites. I am going to assume the correction is to balance out the money going on the streaking DET. Its close but because of the plus odds, I like Reggie Jackson 5.5 AST (+115) Over and 15.5 PTS OVER
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LAC/UTH: Interesting spread IMO. I have it closer to 6. Both teams are decent lately with the Jazz having more consistent success and their recent losses coming to top tier teams. LA is on a back to back and UTH has had rest. I think the Vegas adjustment it to encourage LA bets so I will look towards the UTAH side. Love me some Goberttonight. His PTS are 16.5 and his RBDs 15.5.
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MIL/SAC: My model has this one closer to SAC +3. Id say the adjustment is due to too much money would be on MIL at that price. I like some Bledsoe 4.5 AST OVER. Also, my books dont have it yet but if it comes out, LOVE some action on Bagelys rebounds espically if it is 10.5 or lower. Looking at it later i also like Cauley-Stein 9.5 PTS OVER.
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NO/LAL: Both teams off a loss and a day of rest. My model has this much closer at LA -2. The adjustment is probably to compensate for the sharp money on LA. The Lakers NEED a win to stabilize and make a playoff push. LeBron in NEEEEED it spots usually shows up. He doesnt have the best matchup, but he does have the hot hand. I like Brandon Ingram 20.5 PTS OVER
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My picks summarized:
Last Post Recap: Singles(3-2 ,+0U ) Parlay(0-1, -5U) Teaser(0-1, -2U) BBDLS (0Bets)
Recap: Pretty close to a 3rd straight win day. Props did ok. I wish I put more bets in, I talked about magic 1st qtr and Vucivec and I bet neither, haha. Celtics shit the bed so Horford cost us a 4U swing. OKC looked good... except the final 45 seconds of the first half. Small slate, small summary.
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Todays Singles(Overall Total: 44-35, +15.5U)

• Jarrett Allen 9.5 RBDs OVER
• De'Angelo Russel 8.5 AST (+110) OVER --- 2U
• Bobby Portis 8.5 RBDs OVER
• Whiteside 12.5 PTS O --- 3U
• Whiteside 11.5 RBDs O --- 2U
• MIA ml +425
• John Collins 9.5 RBD OVER --- 3U
• KAT 24.5 PTS OVER
• Andrew Wiggins 18.5 OVER
• Nurkic RBDs 9.5 (+115) OVER -- 2U
• ALT LINE POR -1 (+123)
• Jonas Valanciunas 18.5 PTS OVER --- 3U
• Jonas Valanciunas 10.5 RBDs OVER --- 3U
• Dwight Powell 7.5 RBDs OVER --- 2U
• Reggie Jackson 5.5 AST (+115) OVER
• Reggie Jackson 15.5 PTS OVER
• Rudy Gobert PTS 16.5 O --- 3U
• Rudy Gobert RBDs 15.5 O --- 2U
• Bledsoe 4.5 AST OVER
• Cauley-Stein 9.5 PTS OVER
• Brandon Ingram 20.5 PTS OVER

​
Todays Teaser [1-6, -12.2U] (Teasers are a fun experiment, I dont think they are profitable in the nba)

• POR +7.5, DET+ 8.5, Minn 232.5O, Mil 230.5 O (2U to win 9U)
• LAL to win, BK - 0.5 \**5 point tease*** (2U at +122)*

Basic Parlay(4-13, -18.6U) and BIG BOY DADDY LONG SHOT PARLAY (0-9, -7.2U)
Basic:

• BK, MIN, MEM, POR, LAL *All MLs* (2U to win 11.4U)
• Whiteside 12.5 PTS O, Valanciunas 18.5 PTS O, Gobert PTS 16.5 O (2U to win 11U)
• Ingram 20.5 PTS O, Cauley-Stein 9.5 PTS O, Gobert 15.5 RBDS O (2U to win 14U)
• GS, HOU, UTAH *All MLs* (2U to win 2.3U)
• BK ml, MEM ml (2U to win 2.7U)
• MIN ml, DET +4.5 (1U to win 1.8U)

​
BBDLS:

• HOU, BK, MIN, MEM, IND, UTH, LAL (All MLs) and MIA +12, DET +7.5, POR +7.5 (1U to win 64.7U)

​
Good luck to all! :D

Period: 364.63 days

	Submissions	Comments
Total	1000	73659
Rate (per day)	2.74	201.16
Unique Redditors	362	9917
Combined Score	486412	1088956

Top Submitters' Top Submissions

1. 26499 points, 56 submissions: McElwaine
   
   1. Overheard in Cavs locker room after Game 7: “He got me,” LeBron said of Tatum's dunk over him. "That f***ing Tatum boomed me." LeBron added, “He’s so good,” repeating it four times. LeBron then said he wanted to add Tatum to the list of players he works out with this summer. (1203 points, 190 comments)
   2. Brad Stevens on Aron Baynes’ defense: “All you see are the dunks on Baynes... You don’t see the thousands of times he stops the ball. He doesn’t care (about people dunking on him).” (969 points, 162 comments)
   3. I bet Brad Stevens has a bunch of burner accounts tweeting nothing but positive reinforcement to his players (826 points, 36 comments)
   4. Marcus Smart on Brad Stevens’ play calling: “Some of the plays he draws up you go, ‘Ehhh, I don’t know if that’s going to work.’ Then it does and it’s like, ‘Sorry I ever doubted you.’” (780 points, 61 comments)
   5. “I’ve rooted for two opponents to score in my life and that was Paul Pierce and Dirk Nowitzki.” - Brad Stevens (771 points, 91 comments)
   6. Danny Ainge to @Toucherandrich on possibility he's @isjanosnba:"I like that, actually. That’s a huge compliment. That’s my secret whiskey-drinking account. I can pretend to be a whiskey drinker and eat a lot of soup and have an unemployed son. He’s who I always wanted to be." (737 points, 49 comments)
   7. If Brad Stevens’ intel was accurate, both Kyrie Irving AND Gordon Hayward will be playing 5-on-5 basketball with no limitations within about 2-3 weeks. (735 points, 86 comments)
   8. Jaylen Brown on the 3-0 series lead: “I was never one who was taught to play with my food.” (718 points, 63 comments)
   9. Kyrie Irving on Hot 97: "Going to Boston, a really intimate environment, it almost reminds me of going back to college. It’s just so history-enriched. Seeing all those legends every single day on the wall is a constant reminder of where you are. And I appreciate that." (712 points, 51 comments)
   10. Report: Celtics plan to re-sign Smart, retain Rozier (646 points, 111 comments)
2. 25832 points, 42 submissions: FeversMirrors
   
   1. Jayson Tatum throws it down on LeBron James (2073 points, 200 comments)
   2. Jaylen Brown knocks down the game winning 3 pointer (1481 points, 152 comments)
   3. Jaylen Brown ends Kristaps Porzingis' life (1244 points, 101 comments)
   4. Robert Williams rises up for the block on AD (1140 points, 86 comments)
   5. Kyrie Irving hits back-to-back dagger 3s to beat the Wizards in OT (1124 points, 126 comments)
   6. Terry Rozier swats Joel Embiid's shot to another planet (1124 points, 56 comments)
   7. Paul Pierce raises his number into the rafters (881 points, 78 comments)
   8. Marcus Morris knocks down the game winning 3 pointer against the Thunder (871 points, 88 comments)
   9. Jaylen Brown hits the clutch, nasty jab stepback 3 (754 points, 77 comments)
   10. Terry Rozier notches a triple double in his first career start (730 points, 115 comments)
3. 20891 points, 49 submissions: henryisyourboss
   
   1. [Yang] Hayward: “I dunked the basketball for the first time off my left foot — without pain — last week. That felt awesome. I went into it very soft and gingerly, and after I did it, I was like, ‘OK, that didn’t hurt it all.’ I did it again, and it felt good.” (1040 points, 94 comments)
   2. 2017 ECSF, Game 2: Isaiah Thomas drops 53 points on his sisters birthday. (998 points, 75 comments)
   3. Congrats Timi, you’ve made it (690 points, 83 comments)
   4. Kyrie on 20, 30 years in the future: “I don’t know if you guys will see me. I’ll probably be in 800 acres in Texas in the middle of nowhere. Off the grid in a self-sustaining community, just living with no power. Like this is fun and all, but technology is just killing me, man.” (606 points, 94 comments)
   5. MOOD. (593 points, 56 comments)
   6. [Donovan Mitchell] Guess he figured out who you are brodie @T_Rozzay3 😂😂😂 (571 points, 46 comments)
   7. Smart: “This is where I want to be, and I’m ready to put a green jerse.y back on and get to work. I’m determined to help my teammates bring another championship to the best fans in the world.” (552 points, 55 comments)
   8. Little kid EXPOSES Jaylen Brown (538 points, 88 comments)
   9. Hayward underwent successful surgery to remove the plate and screws that were implanted following the broken fibula (532 points, 172 comments)
   10. [King] Kyrie just cracked into a big smile when he mentioned getting Gordon Hayward back healthy. “Now we have championship pedigree.” (515 points, 34 comments)
4. 13132 points, 27 submissions: Brad-Stevens
   
   1. [Marcus Smart] Boston: You have raised me for the last 4 years as I have gone from a naive southern kid to a championship starved Bostonian. I won't settle for anything less than banner #18. (1368 points, 66 comments)
   2. The Summer of Jayson starts with a video making 18 threes in a row (1010 points, 168 comments)
   3. "Friends" ... The Boston Celtics edition (642 points, 52 comments)
   4. Brad Stevens after Jaylen Brown picks up his 3rd foul off the ball: "They have one fucking team foul ... that's bullshit" (638 points, 82 comments)
   5. [Robb] There is plenty of speculation swirling about Kyrie Irving's future but the point guard told @bostonsportsbsj that he's excited to be a part of a championship-caliber team in Boston for 'years to come.' (619 points, 88 comments)
   6. The #2 seed Boston Celtics will face the #7 seed Milwaukee Bucks in the 1st round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs (564 points, 382 comments)
   7. Boston doesn't bend the knee to anyone (550 points, 58 comments)
   8. [Himmelsbach] Brad Stevens on Xavier Silas: “What we told him this morning was, ‘You’re going to replace Kyrie Irving. So we expect 25 points a game on 50/40/90 shooting.’” (538 points, 27 comments)
   9. Simmons: "What's the best stretch of your career you've had? Last three games of the '16 Finals?" .... Kyrie: "Best stretch?" ... Simmons: "Yeah, where you just felt like you were at the peak of your powers." .... Kyrie: "I have yet to feel that." (525 points, 53 comments)
   10. [Forsberg] Kyrie Irving asked about the possibility of Gordon Hayward returning on The Jump: "I don’t want him to rush back. We need him for years to come. It would be great if he came back this year. Hell, I miss him so much. He knows that. I just want him to do what's best for him." (509 points, 51 comments)
5. 13004 points, 28 submissions: Royal_Ramble
   
   1. Marcus Morris on Boston fans: "I think they liked me, but now they’re starting to love me." (916 points, 61 comments)
   2. Isiah Thomas: "You know, when Chris Paul and LeBron James and these guys step off the stage, you’re looking at a Jaylen Brown who could potentially be the next president of the union." (727 points, 80 comments)
   3. Jayson Tatum's father says son's workout with Kobe Bryant is just more fuel: "If you think Year 1 was really good, get ready for next year." | The Boston Globe (619 points, 74 comments)
   4. Celtics to host first-ever LGBTQA Pride Night when they take on the Pacers tonight (603 points, 228 comments)
   5. [Kyrie Irving] I spoke w/ frustration after last nights game and spoke words that shouldn’t be in a professional setting no matter what. Meant no disrespect to the Holiday and those who celebrate it respectfully. I’m grateful for the time We all can share with our families. We are always ONE. 🔺👁 (590 points, 165 comments)
   6. PLAYOFF HYPE #CUsRise (553 points, 76 comments)
   7. [Daniel Theis] Surgery ✔ and 1st of all: Thank you guys so much for all your messages the last couple days, it means a lot to me! Now it’s time to start the mission #ComebackStronger and as always I will work my heart out to master it!!!!! 💪📊💯☘ #Celtics  (546 points, 24 comments)
   8. Julian Edelman gets Kyrie Irving his own Patriots jersey (537 points, 64 comments)
   9. Danny Ainge on letting Robert Williams wear his former No. 44: “If Scalabrine’s allowed, anybody’s allowed.” (517 points, 34 comments)
   10. [SB Nation] Jaylen Brown: "Embarrassment is where growth happens." (496 points, 48 comments)
6. 12292 points, 32 submissions: RLS012
   
   1. Smith: Smart just yelled at Tatum and Hayward to keep running as he brought the ball up. Smart is 100% the leader and the heart of this Boston team. (879 points, 71 comments)
   2. Golliver: Jaylen Brown to @Kara_Klontz on Ben Simmons vs. Donovan Mitchell for Rookie of the Year: “Let them play for it. If it’s one-on-one, I’ve got J.T. [Jayson Tatum] though.” (736 points, 59 comments)
   3. Forsberg: Jayson Tatum on article that dubbed him one of NBA's most overhyped: "I saw it. But, good or bad, articles really don’t faze me. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. My job is to play basketball; their job is to write articles. I’ll stick to my job." (565 points, 67 comments)
   4. Rohrbach: Let’s put an end to misconceptions from the past few days: Kyrie Irving is not damaged goods. He’s not injury prone. He has not had multiple knee injuries. This surgery was not for structural reasons. It was an inevitability after the 2015 surgery. He will be 100% next year. (515 points, 66 comments)
   5. Snow: The Celtics were ahead by just 4 points with 2:47 left in the 3Q. They went on a 22-6 run over the next 9:32 - forcing Detroit to miss 8 straight shots at one point - to put them up by 20. Guess who was on the floor for that entire stretch? (469 points, 81 comments)
   6. BRobb: Al Horford to @bostonsportsbsj on whether he could see himself finishing his career in Boston: "No question...It feels like home to me now." An exclusive chat with the All-Star about his future in Boston and how his sacrifice could help C's over long haul (466 points, 48 comments)
   7. D'Amico: Al Horford says that after the game in the locker room, Marcus Smart addressed the team and said, “There’s no more excuses.” (457 points, 129 comments)
   8. Kungu: What got lost in the Celtics L last night was the Celtics told Marcus Smart to defend Damian Lillard for 94ft. & we rarely heard from Dame again. (424 points, 66 comments)
   9. Timi: Marcus Smart does the KG Celtics Celebration (424 points, 56 comments)
   10. Grenham: Marcus Smart remains the man. Two young fans yelling for the players during warmups here at MSG. Smart, sitting courtside, chats with them before taking off and giving his two wristbands to them. To say their night was made is an understatement. (422 points, 7 comments)
7. 12023 points, 29 submissions: Timi093
   
   1. I am back! My YouTube channel got restored! Thank y'all for the support! (713 points, 85 comments)
   2. Marcus Morris on Timelord nickname: "I like Timelord. Lob Williams kind of restricts him from all the other things that he does. He's hell of a defensive player. I am a big fan of Timelord." (681 points, 41 comments)
   3. [HIGHLIGHTS] Gordon Hayward makes the history as he gets 30/9/8 in 30 minutes to lead the Celtics over the Wolves! Kyrie Irving adds 21/9, Jayson Tatum chips in with 19/9 and Marcus Smart amazes with a strong candidate to play of the year! (603 points, 35 comments)
   4. [OC] Brad Stevens with yet another masterpierce after the timeout as the Celtics got TWO wide-open players at the end of Wednesday's game. How? Here's a video breakdown. (524 points, 34 comments)
   5. [Bulpett] Just received a call from one of JoJo White's old teammates to say the Celtic legend has passed away at 71 after his battle with cancer. A 2015 Hall of Fame inductee, JoJo was a seven-time All-Star and MVP of the 1976 Finals. No. 10 is retired in his honor. (501 points, 29 comments)
   6. [HIGHLIGHTS] Kyrie Irving drops 43 points and 11 assists in 123-116 OT win for the Celtics! Jayson Tatum scores 21 points on his own and Gordon Hayward adds 15/5/5/4 as Boston even season's series with Toronto at 1-1! (479 points, 36 comments)
   7. [OC Highlights] All 105 threes made by rookie Jayson Tatum during regular season (449 points, 32 comments)
   8. [HIGHLIGHTS] Celtics win seven in a row as Kyrie Irving (38 pts & 7 ast) takes over in the overtime, Marcus Morris adds 27 points & 9 boards and Marcus Smart hustles all over the place! Robert Williams' 6&6 with two blocks highlights here as well! (444 points, 80 comments)
   9. [OC] Film breakdown: Brad Stevens calling the play on the floor, telling Daniel Theis to "get out" (439 points, 47 comments)
   10. [HIGHLIGHTS] Tatum gets 23/9/3, Morris adds 16/10 off the bench and Hayward posts 10/5/4 as the Celtics start things off with a big win over Sixers! (419 points, 68 comments)
8. 10911 points, 21 submissions: Nifera_
   
   1. Aron Baynes says he just told the team that in 2013, his Spurs lost a Game 7 and it “galvanized the group” for the next season. The following year, the Spurs came back and won it all. (917 points, 108 comments)
   2. Jayson Tatum ribbing Kyrie Irving about only playing 11 games at Duke. Kyrie fires back that he was No. 1 pick. Tatum deadpans: “It’s Danny’s fault I didn’t go No. 1.” (872 points, 73 comments)
   3. Tonight's 56-point win is the biggest margin of victory in Celtics history. (840 points, 65 comments)
   4. I just witness a Jazz fan boo Gordon Hayward as he walked out on the court and then leaned over to the person next to him and said, “I still love that guy.” (838 points, 98 comments)
   5. Terry Rozier on Eric Bledsoe: “He can’t motivate me. He don’t motivate me at all. Even the negative stuff when you turn on ESPN, they wasn’t motivating me before the playoffs started. I already motivated myself so they were too late.” (727 points, 62 comments)
   6. Kyrie Irving: “In my downtime I watch Marcus Smart highlights.” (652 points, 59 comments)
   7. “His impact on an organization is hard to match,” Brad Stevens says of Isaiah Thomas. “He meant so much to me ... He’s an amazing guy.” (621 points, 54 comments)
   8. Happy Birthday to THE TRUTH (597 points, 25 comments)
   9. Robert Williams headed to the Portland airport at about 4 a.m. and flew through Detroit to get to Indy just after 9 and said he almost missed both flights. BUT HE DIDN'T. (582 points, 27 comments)
   10. Tatum just spilled his plate of food in the locker room. It’s on the ground. Yabu: “You gonna eat that?” (445 points, 42 comments)
9. 10732 points, 22 submissions: Allcreatives
   
   1. [Baynes] : Staying where I wanted to be!! Last year added fuel to the 🔥 bleed green banner 18 ☘️☘️☘️ (1083 points, 44 comments)
   2. [Grenham] With all of the Celtics having children recently, Rozier was asked what was going on 9 months ago: "We was winning on and off the court." (1082 points, 44 comments)
   3. [Westerholm] Jaylen Brown on joining the second unit: "People make it a bigger deal than what it really is. At the end of the day, it’s basketball. Hayward came off the bench the other day and had 30 points. That’s a mindset thing. That’s a choice." (693 points, 94 comments)
   4. [Chin] After a couple missteps to start his #Celtics career, Robert Williams told me he got here really early today. Said he knew the #Pats were playing and didn’t want to deal with in traffic. When I told him Foxboro isn’t close to here, he said, “ I didn’t want to take any chances!” (662 points, 35 comments)
   5. [Nicole C Yang] Hayward on the support he's gotten: "I'm a big donut guy. I like donuts — that's like my cheat food. And I remember [Aron Baynes] brought Krispy Kremes back from a road trip and drove them over to the house. Just simple things like that mean a lot to me, mean a lot to my family." (606 points, 45 comments)
   6. [Blakely] Celtics wing Jayson Tatum gets props for the 23-point, 10-rebound double-double vs the Sixers. But arguably more significant was the defense he played on Jimmy Butler. In 53 possessions guarding Butler, Tatum limited him to 13 points on 4-for-14 shooting (28.6%) (517 points, 78 comments)
   7. [Himmelsbach] Stevens take on Jaylen/Morris altercation: “I looked at Smart breaking it up...talk about growth, holy smokes.” (509 points, 46 comments)
   8. [Deveney] Joel Embiid on the "rivalry" between the Celtics and Sixers: "This is not a rivalry. I don't know our record against them, but it's pretty bad. They always kick our ass." (479 points, 77 comments)
   9. [Shaun Livingston] “ I mean Houston still is a threat, but you’ve got to throw that (Celtics) team in there. It’s the star power, and it’s the young depth. Cleveland had more older vets, but they didn’t really have two-way guys (like Boston). They’re the younger version of us. …They pose a threat” (448 points, 55 comments)
   10. [Bulpett] Ainge : “You know me. I’m always open to doing something but that doesn’t mean I think we have to go and get something done right now. And it’s not that simple anyway. But patience wins out more often than not more than panic. It has to. “ (430 points, 84 comments)
10. 9019 points, 20 submissions: natwat95
    
    1. [Woj] Greg Monroe will sign with the Boston Celtics, league source tells ESPN. (932 points, 344 comments)
    2. Kyrie wearing sneakers with the year of every Celtics championship on the laces (746 points, 41 comments)
    3. Happy Birthday #Celtics Legend and 11x @NBA champ @RealBillRussell 🐐🎂☘6️⃣ (609 points, 29 comments)
    4. [Shams] Boston's Al Horford has been selected to the NBA Eastern Conference All-Star reserve team, league sources tell Yahoo. (606 points, 77 comments)
    5. [Woj] In the aftermath of left knee surgery, Boston Celtics All-Star guard Kyrie Irving will miss the rest of the regular season and playoffs, league sources told ESPN. (605 points, 521 comments)
    6. [Shams] Sources: Celtics center Daniel Theis has suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee and will undergo season-ending surgery. Theis emerged as an important reserve for Boston this season. (524 points, 206 comments)
    7. Jaylen Brown invited to speak at Harvard (503 points, 44 comments)
    8. Tatum makes the first team all rookie team! (502 points, 56 comments)
    9. [Paul Pierce] 😲 Wow who would of thought a kid from Inglewood enters Boston Celtics Lore!!!! 🙏🏾💯👌🏾🚀 (387 points, 10 comments)
    10. [Hayward] Been waiting a long time to lace back up and get out there with the guys. Tonight, finally! #CUsRise (356 points, 43 comments)
11. 8070 points, 18 submissions: Clayish
    
    1. "1st walk without crutches after six weeks 💪🏼📶💯☘️ #CUsRise" - Daniel Theis (610 points, 37 comments)
    2. Brad Stevens on Jayson Tatum missing unanimous All-Rookie by one vote: "Somebody made a mistake." (609 points, 62 comments)
    3. Marcus Smart said he wants to stay with the Celtics. Said his heart’s here in Boston. Said not a lot of organizations care for players like the Celtics do. Said he loves Ainge and Stevens. (567 points, 137 comments)
    4. When I asked, Isaiah Thomas said he doesn’t regret playing through the torn labrum in Boston, despite all that came afterward. It was the only thing that helped numb the pain of grieving for his sister. (552 points, 36 comments)
    5. Jayson Tatum went to a club in Los Angeles after beating Clippers last night. Got rejected by bouncer because he's only 19. (541 points, 84 comments)
    6. “What more could you ask for?” Says Jaylen Brown. “I’m 21 years old and in the Conference Finals in back-to-back years.” (527 points, 50 comments)
    7. Brad Stevens said the Celtics are going to rent out a theater for the summer league team to watch Uncle Drew. (517 points, 43 comments)
    8. Sorry @NBA for smacking the ref ass after getting ejected. I see other refs took offense to it. My apologies - Marcus Morris (445 points, 42 comments)
    9. Ben Simmons says of TD Garden, "They talk a lot of sh*t to you ... It's hard to play here." (422 points, 76 comments)
    10. Brad Stevens says it doesn’t matter who we play in the first round of the Playoffs, because if you want to win it all, you’ve got to beat great teams along the way at some time or another. (420 points, 39 comments)
12. 7784 points, 17 submissions: BillHondoBirdTruthJB
    
    1. Hayward looks extremely rusty shooting... (895 points, 67 comments)
    2. Terry Rozier on the Drew Bledsoe Jumbotron appearance: “I likeded that” (733 points, 58 comments)
    3. Death lineup 2019 (731 points, 143 comments)
    4. Caris LeVert just suffered a Hayward-like injury. Wishing him a full recovery! (600 points, 53 comments)
    5. [Asser] Kobe Bryant on Jayson Tatum on a conference call with media: "His game is really well fleshed out... by and large I love what I'm seeing from him, especially on the defensive end." He added, unprompted: "I think highly of Jaylen Brown too." (552 points, 97 comments)
    6. [Boston Celtics] Brad Stevens on Terry Rozier: “I just have to figure out how to get him as many minutes as possible. He’s tremendous, not only in the way he plays, but just the way he goes about his everyday business – he works as hard as anybody on our roster.” (529 points, 76 comments)
    7. Terry Rozier Sr. has been released from prison (445 points, 119 comments)
    8. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have a choice; do you start your legacy tonight? (436 points, 55 comments)
    9. [Blakely] “I couldn’t be more unimpressed after our first three preseason games. We got a lot of work to do. That’s pretty clear.” - Brad Stevens. (429 points, 47 comments)
    10. [Smith] Local TV ratings for the Celtics are up 82%. Kind of crazy when you think about how popular Isaiah Thomas was and that Boston was the #1 team in the East last regular season. Kyrie Irving, exciting young players and being an expected contender likely driving this huge increase. (351 points, 81 comments)
13. 7687 points, 15 submissions: ward0630
    
    1. Boston Celtics' Aron Baynes didn't talk to other teams because 'I knew that this was where I wanted to be' (834 points, 84 comments)
    2. [Trey] Kyrie’s 2nd in the league in loose ball recoveries, 8th in the league in deflections, and has 4 charges drawn on the year which is 2nd on the team and as much as Marcus Smart. Dude playing his ass off. (783 points, 46 comments)
    3. [Moore] I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge how right the Celtics were to not trade the Jaylen Brown pick for Jimmy Butler, as they have been right about everything for years. (682 points, 142 comments)
    4. [Lowe] Boston's projected starting five -- Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward, Al Horford -- is the most exciting non-Warriors lineup to hit the league in years. (594 points, 60 comments)
    5. [ESPN on Twitter] Teams trailing by 6 or more in the last 25 seconds had lost 4,315 straight games before the Celtics came back to beat the Thunder. (578 points, 45 comments)
    6. [Keith Smith] Asked a rival front office guy how Boston is in this position: "They are a team full of killers. Some are loud like Smart & Morris. Others do it quietly like Horford, Tatum & Brown. And the best, quietest killer of all is on the sidelines because you never see it coming." (565 points, 42 comments)
    7. [Moore] "There are two teams, and only two, that can honestly say 'We do not need LeBron James:' The Golden State Warriors, and the Boston Celtics." (527 points, 192 comments)
    8. [Robb] Danny Ainge on LeBron leaving the East: "What do I care about the Eastern Conference? I don’t really care about that. We’re trying to win championships, and you still have to play LeBron. I think that there’s a lot of good teams in the East." (516 points, 106 comments)
    9. [Bernardoni] Marcus Smart is the only player in the top 50 of Defensive RPM under 6'6" (490 points, 39 comments)
    10. [Celtics Stats] Jaylen Brown 20-point games: First 19 games: 0 Last 16 games: 6 (422 points, 47 comments)

Top Commenters

1. henryisyourboss (16801 points, 435 comments)
2. airmagswag (11666 points, 183 comments)
3. Brad-Stevens (10107 points, 149 comments)
4. Fesjohn (8907 points, 276 comments)
5. RLS012 (7350 points, 339 comments)
6. saeedg1377 (7031 points, 286 comments)
7. wellgroomedmcpoyle (6994 points, 425 comments)
8. Royal_Ramble (6985 points, 288 comments)
9. MJRocky (6142 points, 490 comments)
10. ward0630 (6022 points, 261 comments)
11. JoeWaffleUno (6017 points, 486 comments)
12. -poncho- (5923 points, 31 comments)
13. PornCommentsAreWeird (5901 points, 206 comments)
14. _Juntao (5894 points, 174 comments)
15. AlexSousa (5673 points, 171 comments)
16. CaptainGronk69 (5388 points, 138 comments)
17. Blackmanwdaplan (5200 points, 211 comments)
18. Nifera_ (5115 points, 71 comments)
19. dubbed4lyfe (4850 points, 225 comments)
20. TheMikeMarsters (4454 points, 206 comments)
21. 1337speak (4446 points, 221 comments)
22. LarBrd33 (4393 points, 505 comments)
23. HookersForDahl2017 (4312 points, 165 comments)
24. solarscopez (3895 points, 82 comments)
25. jcoldiron (3766 points, 63 comments)
26. Nitto1337 (3756 points, 262 comments)
27. Banner18Boogie (3721 points, 27 comments)
28. CelticBird23 (3681 points, 118 comments)
29. BostonGuy245 (3453 points, 32 comments)
30. dust1ng0ff (3435 points, 107 comments)

Top Submissions

1. Jayson Tatum throws it down on LeBron James by FeversMirrors (2073 points, 200 comments)
2. Nobody has mentioned this, in defense of Bledsoe by deleted (1499 points, 82 comments)
3. Free agent center Aron Baynes has agreed to a two-year, $11M deal to return to the Boston Celtics, league sources tell Yahoo. by ichigokuro (1483 points, 173 comments)
4. Jaylen Brown knocks down the game winning 3 pointer by FeversMirrors (1481 points, 152 comments)
5. Smarf play of the year by MJRocky (1410 points, 71 comments)
6. Kyrie, Gordon, and Jaylen combine for 0 points in dominant 16-point conference semifinals win. by mintyginty (1388 points, 66 comments)
7. [Marcus Smart] Boston: You have raised me for the last 4 years as I have gone from a naive southern kid to a championship starved Bostonian. I won't settle for anything less than banner #18. by Brad-Stevens (1368 points, 66 comments)
8. It's Always Rainy in Philadelphia by ro-heezy (1360 points, 131 comments)
9. After last night's performance, Danny Ainge has now tied Dee Brown for sixth-most all-time steals in franchise history with 675 a piece. by Pluimvee (1325 points, 53 comments)
10. Celtic Season Appreciation Post .. by AntonioFlores1 (1316 points, 365 comments)

Top Comments

1. 1352 points: BostonGuy245's comment in POST GAME THREAD: Boston Celtics 101, Philadelphia 76ers 98
2. 1008 points: Nifera_'s comment in With the 27th pick, the Boston Celtics have selected Robert Williams, the forward from Texas A&M
3. 996 points: -poncho-'s comment in POST GAME THREAD: Boston Celtics 108, Cleveland Cavaliers 83
4. 955 points: augowl_'s comment in POST GAME THREAD: Boston Celtics 107, Cleveland Cavaliers 94
5. 854 points: deleted's comment in POST GAME THREAD: Boston Celtics 108, Cleveland Cavaliers 83
6. 744 points: dust1ng0ff's comment in POST GAME THREAD: Boston Celtics 107, Cleveland Cavaliers 94
7. 726 points: PornCommentsAreWeird's comment in Enough with the Kawhi to Boston talk
8. 722 points: adamjm99's comment in POST GAME THREAD: Boston Celtics 114, Philadelphia 76ers 112
9. 705 points: FreshPrinceofBel-Air's comment in POST GAME THREAD: Boston Celtics 108, Cleveland Cavaliers 83
10. 694 points: AlexSousa's comment in POST GAME THREAD: Boston Celtics 107, Cleveland Cavaliers 94

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